Ireland’s labour market has started the year in broadly the same mood as it ended last year. Although there was a slight increase in the number of people unemployed, the overall unemployment rate remained unchanged between November and December.
With January traditionally being the most popular month to start job searching, the strong labour market offers many opportunities for job movers and new labour market entrants but with full Brexit story yet to unfold, an air of caution remains across the economy.
Looking beneath the overall unemployment rate shows a significantly higher rate of youth unemployment (12.6%) than the whole economy rate. As many employers report difficulties recruiting, targeting this cohort of unemployed young people could be one part of the solution to a tight labour market.
